


they were talking in the strawberry swing

by ginnydear



Category: Love Simon (2018)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Communication, Fluff, Getting Together, Kissing, M/M, MISS ME WITH THAT, Post-Canon, Spierfeld Week, anyway here's surprisingly good communication from two teenage boys, i know i tagged everyone but it's because they're in there but they're like in the foreground, i'm so against miscommunication, this is essentially a fic about simon and bram communicating because it's important
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-11
Updated: 2018-04-11
Packaged: 2019-04-21 15:43:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14288151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ginnydear/pseuds/ginnydear
Summary: Bram’s acutely aware that this is the moment he’ll remember for years to come, this is the story he’ll tell people when they ask.directly after the ferris wheel scene, bram and simon talk. spierfeld week, day three.





	they were talking in the strawberry swing

**Author's Note:**

> yo okay what's up i'm HERE with this fic that's so important to me. i had originally written this because i just wanted too, but decided to save it for spierfeld week because why the heckity heck not. 
> 
> shoutout, as always, to [Caitlin](http://ginnyweaslays.tumblr.com) for being awesome and catching my dumb mistakes
> 
> title is from strawberry swing by coldplay

_He’s not disappointed._

It’s running through Bram’s brain like a marquee as Simon bends over to kiss him for the first time, his hand stalling near his shoulders and resting on the safety bar. They pull apart, and then Simon pushes back in, his hand coming up to wrap around Bram’s jaw, a little shaky, so Bram brings his hand up to cover his and the moment’s made. When Simon pulls away, his eyes open slowly, and between the colorful lights and the butterflies in his stomach, Bram’s pretty sure he’s dreaming.

They smile at each other and then Simon’s soft, happy laughter hits his ears and so does the cheering from below. Abby’s screaming, Garrett’s yelling, and Bram feels figuratively and literally on top of the world. He catches Simon’s eye and he’s leaning over to kiss him again, his hand back on Bram’s jaw, pushing a little harder this time, and it’s so much better.

Bram acts on the itching under his skin and reaches over as they break apart, his fingertips coming into contact with Simon’s hand. There’s another smile, Simon turns his hand over, and their fingers slip together. They find a comfortable grip and Bram squeezes his hand.

“I-“Bram starts, but then the ride’s moving again and Simon gives his hand a squeeze of encouragement. He still has that lopsided Simon smile on his face and Bram can’t think of anything more wonderful.

They end up back down on the ground, stumbling out of the seat together, hands still clasped tightly. Abby’s the first to them, and she spills popcorn all over their shoulders as she wraps her arms around them, still screaming happily. Nick, Leah, and Garrett follow, and it’s the kind of group hug usually seen at sporting events.

“I’m so proud of you!”

“Bram and Simon!”

“I love you guys,” Garrett says as the hug breaks, reaching up to cuff Bram’s shoulder. He ducks his head, looking at his feet in the dirt. Simon squeezes his hand, and he squeezes back.

“We should go celebrate! Waffle House, that far back big table that’s half booth, half table! I’ll buy the first round,” Nick says, to which Simon raises an eyebrow.

“Of waffles, duh,” Nick says, and everyone laughs. Simon catches Bram’s eye, and there is a moment of understanding between them.

“We’ll meet you there,” Bram says, looking at Garrett quickly. His best friend nods, turning to Nick.

“I call DJ,” Garrett says, and Abby balks at him. They begin moving with the rest of the crowd towards the exit, Nick and Abby leading the way, Garrett and Leah trailing right behind Simon and Bram. There’s enough Creekwood students that Bram’s pretty sure that by tomorrow morning, everyone will know.

Bram pulls Simon through the parking lot towards his car, Garrett following slightly. When Bram unlocks the doors, Garrett reaches inside and grabs his backpack.

“See you guys there, don’t be too late,” he says with a wink, and then he’s running towards Nick. “Abby, I said I’m DJ!”

Simon catches Bram’s eye and then they’re laughing, hands unclasping as Bram opens the passenger door for Simon. Simon gets in as Bram walks around to the drivers side. When he gets in, Simon’s looking around the car with that grin on his face still, and Bram hits the lock button before catching Simon’s eye.

“I can’t believe it’s you,” Simon says softly, a quiet amazement coloring his voice. It brings back the butterflies in Bram’s stomach, so he leans over the center and pulls Simon in by his jacket for another kiss. Simon makes a small noise in the back of his throat, and he brings his hands up to grip Bram’s wrists. Bram moves his hands up to cup Simon’s face, and Simon’s hands fall to hold onto Bram’s biceps.

Bram breaks the kiss slowly, keeping their noses together. Their breaths mingle between them, and Bram caresses Simon’s cheeks with his thumbs, afraid to open his eyes. Simon gives his arms a little squeeze.

“Are you okay?” Simon asks into the darkness, and Bram opens his eyes to see Simon already staring back at him. Bram nods, clearing his throat as he lets his hands fall from Simon’s cheeks. Keeping his grip on his arms, Simon follows the movement and captures Bram’s hands in his own.

“I didn’t realize how nervous I was until we got in the car,” Bram confesses, looking down at their hands. He’s overcome with the emotion of the moment, and he swallows around the tightness in his throat. Simon reaches up quickly, and that’s when Bram realizes there’s tears in his eyes.

“Hey, I’m sorry, I know I made this very public and I knew how scared you were-“ Simon starts, but Bram cuts him off by shaking his head, bringing a hand up to wipe at his eyes.

“You don’t have to apologize for anything, Simon. If anyone should be apologizing, it should be me,” Bram says once he works around the lump in his throat. He looks at Simon, and offers him a lopsided smile. Simon looks confused, and Bram sighs. He looks up at the ceiling, his hands grasping Simon’s again, as he works through the mess that’s in his brain. When he meets Simon’s eyes, he’s watching him patiently, and Bram feels his heart swell.

“I shouldn’t have left you when you needed me,” Bram finally whispers, and he watches as Simon realizes what he’s talking about. Hurt flashes through his eyes before he can mask it, and Bram pushes on.

“I was so scared, and I acted before I thoroughly thought out my actions, and then I felt so bad that I didn’t know how to fix them, and then Garrett told me what happened in the cafeteria and I got more scared and I just…,” Bram takes a deep breath, having worked himself up a little as he spoke, and Simon squeezes his hands.

“I feel so guilty, that I left you when you needed me,” Bram finishes, looking down, trying to hide the new onslaught of tears in his eyes. Simon’s quiet for a moment, and in that silence, Bram feels a fear that Simon’s going to reject him, but then Simon’s letting go of one of his hands to push on his chin until Bram’s looking at him.

“It hurt,” he starts, “but I understand. You don’t have to apologize.”

Bram stares at him, a little dumbfounded. The guilty tears dry up in his eyes, and he opens and closes his mouth a few times before he speaks. Simon watches him with an amused look on his face.

“But I want to,” Bram finally whispers across the space between them, and instead of arguing like Bram half expects him to, Simon nods.

“Okay. But this is the only time you get to apologize for it,” Simon eyes go a little glassy as he strokes Bram’s cheek, and Bram watches in the semi-darkness as Simon gathers himself, every emotion playing out across his face. Bram’s never felt so endeared in his life.

“That’s fair,” Bram says finally, and Simon’s eyes lazily move to meet Bram’s, the right side of his mouth quirking up slightly. He’s a stark contrast from the Simon of last week, the one that didn’t smile and had no light in his eyes. He’s practically glowing, outshining the bulbs still shining off in the distance at the fair.

“Can I ask you something?” Simon whispers, pulling Bram from his thoughts.

“Of course,” he replies, shifting in his seat. Simon’s hand falls from his face to the fabric of his jacket, and Bram gently takes Simon’s free hand in both of his.

“Why did you think I’d be disappointed it was you?”

Bram opens his mouth, but there’s too many thoughts at once and he closes it slowly, looking down at the buttons on Simon’s jacket. He thinks about every nagging thought that had plagued him in the days after he’d realized it was Simon he’d been pouring his heart out to all year long. He had been toying with the idea that it had been Simon for a bit, just something of a gut instinct, or more of a wistful hope that filled him late at night when his mind wandered. He’d gone through every guilty spiral, thinking about how Simon must’ve felt, someone suddenly cutting off communication like that after knowing who he was, what he looked like. He remembers the feelings in his chest as he had come clean to Garrett, nervously picking at the grass of the soccer field, making a small pile as Garrett listened to all of his secrets and fears.

 _Fear_.

“I was scared,” Bram says finally, not knowing how long it’s been since Simon asked, but Simon’s still waiting patiently, his eyes trained on Bram’s face.

“Of what?”

Bram huffs out a laugh, shaking his head.

“I came out to Garrett last week and told him everything. It was after practice, after everyone had left, and Garrett was going on about Nick being a jackass for not being there for you, and I felt… guilty and scared. So, I told him. I sat there for who knows how long, confessing all of these deep secrets I’d kept out of fear, and you know what he said to me?”

Simon shakes his head even though the question is rhetorical.

“He told me he was honored I’d felt I could trust him enough to tell him, and that he’d suspected something for a while, after he’d seen me looking at you the way most guys look at girls. And then he punched my shoulder and told me he had my back no matter what. It was a very bro moment, and I knew with the way he was going on and on about how everyone was treating you, he wouldn’t have any issues with me being… gay. But I was still terrified.

“Before I walked over to you, I was standing there with Garrett, scared out of my mind. Because while, logically, I knew you wouldn’t reject me the second I walked up there, an illogical part of me was scared you would.”

Simon waits until Bram hasn’t spoken for a moment before opening his mouth.

“I really like Garrett,” he says softly, and Bram laughs some of the anxious energy out of his chest.

“Me too,” he replies as Simon caresses his cheek.

“For the record,” Simon’s eyes flick to Bram’s lips, “at the Halloween party, I had been looking for you to essentially ask if you were Blue, because I was so sure of it.”

Bram tilts his head back until he’s slumped against the window, and Simon chuckles softly at him.

“Don’t be so dramatic,” Simon says, and Bram rolls his eyes at him.

“That’s hilarious, coming from you,” he replies as he sits back up, groaning at himself.

“I can’t believe it,” Bram continues, “if I hadn’t been… dumb and drunk.”

“I don’t know if I would’ve been brave enough to ask, but up until that moment, every time I thought of Blue, I was picturing you,” Simon confesses, his cheeks heating up. Now it’s Bram’s turn to reach up and caress his cheek, smiling softly.

“You still wouldn’t have thought I was straight,” Bram says, to which Simon nods slowly, his eyes wide.

“Boy am I glad you aren’t,” he mumbles, and they both chuckle. Simon’s eyes flick down to Bram’s lips again, and Bram uses the hand he already has on Simon’s face to pull him in and kiss him. Simon’s lips are soft, warm, and responsive as Bram slots their lips together, pulling Simon’s bottom lip into his mouth. One, or both, of them moan softly. Bram’s suddenly wishing they’d sat in the backseat, the center console digging into his side in their attempts to be closer.

Their lips make a clicking noise as they break apart. Bram distractedly thinks that maybe they should’ve put on music, but then he wouldn’t have been able to hear the gasp of breath Simon takes in when they pull apart. Simon ducks his head, his cheeks flaring bright red, and Bram gently cups the back of his neck, his fingers tickled by the hair at the base of his scalp.

Simon eventually looks up at him, though it’s a little shy, and Bram kisses his cheeks impulsively. The giggle he gets in return is enough to make him do it again, and then again, until Simon’s breathlessly giggling and pushing at Bram until he can break away and fall against the passenger door, his face lit up in a lopsided smile. He’s staring at Bram openly, his eyes moving slowly, and Bram feels his cheeks heat up.

Simon’s eyebrows come together for the briefest of moments, that Bram would’ve missed if he wasn’t openly staring, and he reaches over to touch Simon’s knee.

“What is it?” he asks, and Simon stares at him in wonder as he sits up, meeting Bram in the middle again.

“You said… when you were talking about coming out to Garrett, about how he knew…”

Bram ducks his head now, his hand coming up to touch the back of his neck reflexively. He’d heard himself say that and had hoped Simon wouldn’t fixate on that.

“Yeah…” Bram trails off, and when he looks up at Simon from behind his eyelashes, Simon’s smirking at him.

“You, and I quote, looked at me the way most guys look at girls?”

Simon’s face is full of mischievous glee now, and Bram can’t help the warmth that spreads from his chest to his fingertips.

“You’re getting far too much joy out of this,” Bram says, and Simon giggles.

“You had a crush… on me?” he sounds like he almost doesn’t believe it, and if the crease between his eyes and the slight frown marring his face is anything to go by, he’s slowly convincing himself he doesn’t.

“Yeah,” Bram breathes out, “I’ve had a massive crush on you since freshman year.”

Simon doesn’t say anything, his mouth hanging open slightly, eyes wide. He blinks slowly as Bram reaches out to touch his hand, pulling his attention back in almost comically. His eyebrows pinch together, his mouth shuts, and he turns his hand over so their fingers can slot together. Bram watches a litany of emotions cross Simon’s face before he clears his throat.

“I wore glasses freshman year.”

“You should bring those back,” Bram says, emboldened by the rising color on Simon’s cheeks and the way he’s gazing at Bram.

“I was covered in pimples.”

“So was everyone else.”

“I was a massive dork back then.”

“To be fair, you still are,” Bram says with a laugh, and Simon reaches over to shove his shoulder, hiding his smile by turning towards the headrest. He takes in a deep breath and releases it in a huff, glancing at Bram out of the corner of his eye. Bram shoots him his awkward smile, and Simon chuckles.

“I can’t believe this,” he mumbles, turning back so they’re facing each other again. “You’ve had a crush on me, this whole time? We’ve been sitting at the same lunch table for years, and you’ve had a crush on me, _the whole time_?”

Simon sounds like he’s trying to wrap his head around it, so Bram simply nods.

“The whole time. It wasn’t easy,” he laughs, thinking of every moment he’d thought he’d slipped up, during freshman or sophomore year. It had taken him awhile to feel like he wasn’t giving himself away every day of his life.

“Is that why you didn’t talk to me all of freshman year? I thought you didn’t like me,” Simon says, pulling Bram from his thoughts, and he squeezes Simon’s hand.

“I thought you were cute. It made talking very difficult,” Bram says sincerely, making Simon blush again. He ducks his head slightly, hiding his cheeks, and his hair falls into his eyes a bit. Before he can reach up to push it back, Bram beats him to it, threading his fingers through the strands, inadvertently pulling Simon’s head back up so their eyes can meet. Simon’s pupils look wider than before. Bram swallows.

“For the record,” Simon says after a moment, seeming to gather his composure before Bram has all of his, “I’ve been referring to you as ‘Cute Bram’ in my head for… a long time now.”

Bram’s smile lights up his face, all teeth and crinkly eyes. He wants to duck his head, or touch the back of his neck, but instead he reaches up and pulls Simon to him from across the seat, dampening his smile enough to kiss him. They’re both smiling, and they laugh together at how ridiculous it all is.

“Just think, if it hadn’t been for the overwhelming fear of coming out and the homophobia of living in Georgia, we could’ve been making out years ago,” Simon says sarcastically, and Bram lets his forehead fall to Simon’s shoulder as they giggle together. Bram tries not to dwell on the truth of his statement.

They’re quiet then, the night pressing in around them as the festival lights go off. When Bram sits up, he can barely see Simon where he sits, less than two feet away from him. As his eyes adjust, he starts to make out the lopsided grin and the shape of Simon’s cheekbones. He wants to reach over, to touch the shape of Simon’s jaw, but he feels he needs to say something first.

“Simon?” he whispers, and he watches the movement of Simon’s jaw as he responds.

“Yeah?”

Bram falters, words failing to leave his mouth, and then Simon squeezes his hand.

“Will you be my boyfriend?” Bram whispers, his cheeks warming significantly. He’s almost glad Simon can’t see him, because he’s sure he looks embarrassing, but that means he can’t see Simon. In the little light they have, he can tell Simon’s grinning at him.

“Only if you’ll be mine,” Simon replies, and Bram almost wants to groan, but he laughs instead. It’s a happy laugh that Simon joins in on, and then they’re leaning forward again, their lips meeting for a soft kiss, Simon bringing his hands up to cup Bram’s face. Bram’s acutely aware that this is the moment he’ll remember for years to come, this is the story he’ll tell people when they ask. Their first kiss as _boyfriends_ , and the word running through his head makes his stomach erupt in butterflies.

Bram’s smiling when they break apart, and judging by the way Simon’s eyes are crinkled, he is too.

“We should probably head over to WaHo,” Simon whispers, and Bram nods.

“My phone’s gone off four times,” he confesses, and Simon laughs.

“Mine’s gone off too many times to count,” he reaches in his back pocket for his phone, pulling it out. Bram turns in the seat and turns the key in the ignition, cranking up the heater as soon as the car’s on. He pulls his phone out of his pocket and places it in the center cup holder as he puts on his seatbelt, Simon copying his movements. Simon already has the aux cord plugged into his phone and Bram smiles at him as he pulls out of the parking spot.

They’re sitting at a stoplight when Simon holds up Bram’s phone.

“Can you unlock it, please?” he asks, and Bram places his thumb on the reader. Simon smiles at him, and Bram sees him open the contacts list.

“What are you doing?” Bram asks, his curiosity getting the better of him. There’s nothing to hide on his phone, besides maybe a few embarrassing texts Garrett’s sent him. Simon shakes his head.

“You’ll see,” he says, his fingers moving over the keyboard.

“Simon,” Bram starts, but Simon jerks his head towards the road.

“The light’s green,” he says, smirking as he force closes the contacts app and locks Bram’s phone. He picks up his own phone then, and a few seconds later, Bram’s phone buzzes.

“I know you weren’t putting in your phone number since I already had it,” Bram says, and Simon nods.

“That English project sophomore year was the excuse I had been looking for to get your number, actually,” Bram confesses as he drives, and he can see Simon blush in his peripheral vision.

“You texted me a total of 20 times,” Simon says, turning his head to look at Bram. Looking over quickly, Bram smiles. He takes one hand off the wheel and slips it into the hand that Simon’s had sitting on the center console, as if waiting. And maybe he was, judging by the way his face lights up when Bram’s fingers touch his palm.

“I’m going to text you all the time now,” Bram says like a promise, and even though he’s sure Simon’s cheeks already hurt from how wide he’s smiling, he manages to smile wider.

Bram pulls into the WaHo parking lot, and through the glass windows, he can see their friends sitting at that half booth, half table in the corner, talking animatedly. He sees the exact moment Garrett notices his car, but he doesn’t point them out. He shuts the car off and looks for his phone.

“Bram.”

Bram looks over at Simon, his boyfriend, and raises an eyebrow. Simon’s gazing at their hands, his lips just barely ticked up, and when he slowly looks up at Bram from behind his eyelashes, Bram thinks that this is what love songs are about.

“Can… I-“ Simon cuts himself off, his face screwing up as he thinks, and Bram reaches over with his free hand to touch Simon’s cheek.

“What’s up?” Bram asks, and Simon looks inside briefly before he sighs. Bram squeezes his hand.

“How much do we tell them?” he says finally, looking inside. Bram shrugs.

“Whatever you want.”

“What do you want, though? I know really this is like, your coming out and I don’t want to pre-“ Simon begins to ramble, but Bram cuts him off by moving his hand over and covering Simon’s lips with his fingers.

“Simon,” he starts softly, realizing there’s one last conversation they should have before they go inside. “I’m… I’m out now. By tomorrow morning, the whole school is going to know. I accepted that the second I sat down next to you on the Ferris wheel. Really, I accepted that back when I decided to come out to my parents. I wouldn’t ask you to date someone that wasn’t excited to be out with you.”

Simon beams at him, the human embodiment of a ray of sunshine.

“I promise you I’ll let you know if I’m uncomfortable, and I’ll always talk to you about what’s going on in my head,” Bram squeezes his hand, and Simon leans forward to press a soft kiss to his cheek.

“I promise I’ll try to articulate what’s going on in mine, too,” he says in Bram’s ear, resting his forehead on Bram’s shoulder for a moment. They breathe together, and Bram looks through the windows again to see Abby staring right at them, her face all white teeth and bright eyes.

“Let’s head inside,” Bram says, but Simon doesn’t move.

“Just a minute,” he says, his head still on Bram’s shoulder. Looking down, Bram can see that Simon’s eyes are closed, the ends of his mouth turned up in a soft smile. Bram kisses the top of Simon’s head, using the hand not tangled with Simon’s to grab his phone from the cup holder. Simon tilts his head up so he’s gazing at Bram as the screen lights up, and Bram laughs.

The text is just a bunch of emojis (a couple cookies, a Ferris wheel, the soccer ball, a peach) but it’s the name of the sender that has him laughing.

“ _Massive Dork of a Boyfriend_ , huh?” Bram asks as he turns to look down at Simon, who’s smiling happily. He nods, pulling his own phone out and opening it to a contact screen.

“You’re in mine as _Cute Bram_ ,” Simon says, showing Bram, who smiles.

“Cute Bram, huh?”

“Cute Bram with the soccer calves,” Simon says, not breaking eye contact even as his cheeks stain pink. Cheeks on fire, Bram leans down and kisses Simon.

“I’ll remember you said that,” Bram says, and Simon nods.

“I’ll keep saying it.”

Bram’s phone starts vibrating in his hand, and they look down to see that Garrett’s calling him. When they look inside the windows, Abby, Garrett, Leah, and Nick are all waving at them, matching smiles on their faces. Simon hides his face in Bram’s shoulder as Bram answers the phone call.

“Dude, get inside,” Garrett says, the smile still on his face. Bram makes a face at him through the windows, and Garrett shakes his head.

“We’ll stop Abby from asking a lot of questions if you guys don’t want to talk,” Garrett lowers his voice so just Bram can hear, and Bram really loves his best friend in that moment.

“No, it’s okay. We’ll be inside in a second, go back to eating,” Bram says, hanging up. Garrett drops his phone back on the table inside, pulling everyone’s attention away from the window.

Bram waits until they’re all turned away to gently buck Simon off his shoulder, bringing both hands up to cup Simon’s face and pull him into a kiss. Simon makes a noise in the back of his throat, and his hands slink around until they’re gripping Bram’s back, fingers digging into the muscles there. After what feels like a matter of days and also only a few seconds, Bram pulls back, letting out a soft sigh as he does.

“Now let’s go inside,” Bram whispers, and Simon kisses him quickly one last time.

“No, now let’s go inside,” he says and Bram smiles as he rolls his eyes.

 _Massive dork of a boyfriend indeed_.

 

**Author's Note:**

> feedback is always appreciated for my gay heart. 
> 
> find me on [tumblr](http://emilyspier.tumblr.com)


End file.
